Japan's Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) formally named a new LNG carrier during a ceremony in South Korea on Thursday, September 10.
The vessel has been named Fujin Sailor. Construction was undertaken at the Geoje shipyard of Hanwha Ocean.
The vessel will be delivered to Chevron to serve a long-term charter contract starting at the end of September 2026.
The ship is notable for her wind-assist propulsion units. MOL expects these units will help the ship reduce fuel consumption and associated greenhouse gas emissions compared with conventional propulsion alone.
MOL said the vessel is the world's first LNG carrier equipped with a wind-assisted propulsion system.
Fujin Sailor has an LOA of 294.9 metres, a beam of 46.4 metres, a ME-GA main engine, and membrane type LNG cargo tanks with a total capacity of 174,000 cubic metres.
The ship also features a shaft generator and an air lubrication system to further reduce fuel consumption while underway.
Editor's note: Over the last four decades or so, Baird Maritime has seen many similar sail-assist propulsion proposals fail dramatically, with technology characterised by complexity, expense and almost total lack of result. Real-world conditions are rarely appropriate, and when they are, the technology necessitates expensive additional training or even dedicated crewmembers to deploy it. Not to mention the resulting windage and stability concerns that significantly affect the handling of the vessel.
